bireme

A bireme was a type of galley, a ship propelled by oars, that featured two banks of oars. This design was particularly used by the ancient Greeks and Phoenicians. The bireme likely originated from the Phoenicians and became a prominent warship around the 8th century BCE. These ships were typically around 80 feet long and about 10 feet wide. They were an evolution from earlier single-banked oared vessels called uniremes and preceded the development of the trireme, which had three banks of oars and became the dominant warship after the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE.12